Manometer



X C c m W B H.

MANOMETER Filed Sept. 28, 1934 IIIIIn Jn denim #aro/a V/Ycox Patented Apr. 28, 1936 Y .p 2,038,777A

UNITED vS'I'ATEYS PATENT kOFFICE MANOMETER Harold B. Wilcox, Avenal, Calif.

Application September 28, 1934, Serial No. 745,867

4 Claims. (Cl. 73-31) This invention relates to manometers and similar indicating instruments in which glass sight tubes are used, and more particularly to a means for making fluid tight the juncture between the glass sight tube and the pressure chamber in the body of such a device.

Heretofore, in differential pressure manometers, gauge glasses and the like, the problem of making a fluid tight joint between the glass.

10 tubes usually found in such equipment, and the pressure chambers or passages in the mainrbody or frame has been a serious one. Various expedients, such as stuffing boxes or glands, with Soft or ilexible packing, have been tried, but have l5- not proved satisfactory, because of leakage, breakage of the glass during andsubsequent to its installation, deterioration of the packing and other well recognized deficiencies.

Furthermore, in certain services such as are 20 commonly met with in the petroleum refining, natural gas, and natural gasoline industries, breakage or leakage of a gauge glass or manometer tube may have very serious consequences, due to the inammable and explosive nature of the fluids which may be released thereby. These difficulties, and others which vwill be apparent to those skilled in the art, have been substantially overcome by the present invention,-whch utilizes an elastic connector and a sleeve, made tight 30 by the relative pressure of the fluid, to join the glass tube or its equivalent to the body or frame of the instrument.

It is an object of this invention to provide a means for securing a glass tube or cylinder into a passage or pressure chamber of a rigid frame or body such as a part of a manometer, pressure gauge, liquid level gauge or the like.

Another object is to provide a fluid-tight joint between a glass tube and a pressure chamber, in which a definite degree of flexibility is obtained, thereby avoiding strains and breakage of the tube by temperature and pressure changes, sudden jars or shocks, and vibration.

Another object is to provide a means for connecting a tube, which is not necessarily of glass or friable material, into a positive or negative pressure chamber by means of a sleeve and an elastic member which will automatically make the joint tight by virtue of the relative pressure acting thereon.

Another object is to provide a type of construction for a manometer, gauge glass, liquid level indicator or the like that will be simple and eco- 55 nomical to fabricate and in which replacements of the breakable or fragile parts may be easily and quickly made.

These and other objects and advantages will become further apparent from the following description, and from the accompanying drawing 5- which forms a part of this specification andrillustrates a preferred embodiment of this invention.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front view of a differential fluid 10 pressure manometer to which thisinvention has been applied, and illustrates one method of an-l choring the U-tube into the frame of the instrument.

Figure 2 is a side View of the device shown in 15 Figure 1. Y

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional View Online III-III of Figure 2 and illustrates a preferred arrangement of the joint between the ends of the U-tube and the pressure connection or chamber. 20

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view similar to that of Figure 3, but adapted to a negative pressure apparatus s-uch as a differential gauge in- Which a Vacuum is maintained.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral I0 25 represents the support frame of the manometer used in this example. At the upper end of the frame is a metal block or base II in which pressure chambers I 2k are formed, and which may be secured to frame Ill by cap screws I3. 30

Pressure chambers I2 are preferaby threaded as at I4 so that the usual pipe lines I5 and I6 may be connected thereto. In the case of the embodiment shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, each pressure chamber I2 is formed with a threaded 35 opening I'I, into which a threaded cap or bull plug I8 may be secured. Axially aligned with opening I1 but opposite thereto, and also communicating with chamber I2 is a threaded opening I9 for the reception of threaded sleeve 2B. 40

SleeveV 2U is preferably but not necessarily shaped substantially as shown in Figure 3, with a hexagon or Octagon head 2l, a threaded portion 22 and a tapered end 23. Bore 24 of sleeve 20 is a loose fit for gauge glass or U-tube 25. A section of elastic tubing 26, which may be rubber or a solvent resistant synthetic material such as Thioko is slipped over both the tapered portion 23 of sleeve 20 and the end of tube 25, before 50 cap I8 is installed, and serves to make tight the joint between tube 25 and sleeve 20. The greater the pressure differential between the inside of pressure chamber I2 and the atmosphere, the more tightly will tubing 26 be forced against tube 55 25 and sleevel 20 to seal the same, thus forming what may be termed a pressure seal.

VObviously the pressure diilerential between chamber I2 and the atmosphere will tend to force tube out of-sleeve 20, due to the ilexibility of the pressure seal, so that some means of opposing Y vthat force must be provided. YO ne such means is shown on Figures l and V2, and Yis particularly adapted to U-tubes for fluid pressure differential gauges. Y Near the lower end of frame l0 is secured a semi-circular metalv cup'21, as by welding at 28. After both upper ends ofthe U-tube 25 have been inserted into their respective sleeves 20, and the g lower end of the tube V25 hasbeen dropped back so that it is within the cup 21, the latter is lledV VWith some suitable initially plastic material 29 such as sealing wax, plaster of Paris or the like, that will become hard. This'will' retain the lower end of tube 25 in place and will resist the down thrust of the pressure diierential on the combined areas of the upper ends of` tube 25 as they project into the pressure chambers I2.v 'It is obvious, however, that any equivalent and adequate support for the lower end of tube 25 could be sub- 'stitutedA for the means just described.

In caseof breakagerof'the tube 25, the sealing material 29 may readily be chipped or'meltedfout of cup 21 and anew tube installed by the process Y described. V

VA conventional scale 30 maybe placed between the two legs of U-tube 25 and secured toIV frame s l0 asby screws 3|.

may be threaded into recess Il' in block lV I form-V ing a guard for member 26. It holds no pressure and may be dispensed with if desired. 'In this case, the lower end of U-tube 25 musteither be supported so. that it will be prevented from being drawn upwardly into pressure chamber I2", ora

stop such as pin 33 in sleeve 20 be'provided toY limit the travel thereinto,

Manometers and the like constructed according to this invention have been found to be particu-V larly economical to build and maintain without the customary glass tube breakage, Veven in serva specific construction embodying this invention Y' h as been described and illustrated, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to that specic device, andrall such modications and changes as come within the scope of the appended claims are embraced thereby.

I claim:

A1. A :nanometer or the like comprising means forming a pressure chamber, a bore in said means communicating with said chamber, a rigid glass tube extending into said bore, a sleeve securedY in Vsaid bore and surrounding said tube for a portion ofY its length, an elastic tubing member surrounding said sleeve and said tube at their juncture to form a exible pressure seal therebetween,V

a recess in said first namedvmeans aligned with said bore, and a cap for said recess. adapted to be removedrto permit access to said` elastic tubing member; j

Y 2. A :nanometer or the like according to claim4 1', in which said recess is positioned on the opposite side of said pressure chamber from said bore and is aligned therewith, and said cap is adapted .to form a tight closure for said recess and said pressure chamber, and in which said sleeve and said elastic tubing member extend into said'pressure chamber to prevent outward leakage therefrom.

3. A manometer or the like, according to` claim Y 1,'in which said sleeveand said elastic tubing 

